Quantum computer scientist Andreas Winter receives the highest award in Cologne!

Quantum computer scientist Andreas Winter receives the highest award in Cologne!

Andreas Winter, a renowned quantum computer scientist, was awarded the Humboldt Professorship of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation on May 5, 2025. This professorship, which aims to combine computer science with the latest developments in quantum science, is the most valuable research prize in Germany with prize money of five million euros. This is the eighth time that the University of Cologne has received such a professorship, demonstrating its commitment to interdisciplinary research in the field of quantum computer science.

Winter took up his professorship for “Quantum Information and Computing” on April 1, 2025. His goal is to establish an international center for quantum information theory at the University of Cologne. Quantum information, which deals with information described by the laws of quantum mechanics, opens up novel perspectives for information processing. Quantum bits or qubits, which can be in superpositions of states 0 and 1 at the same time, enable revolutionary approaches to communicating and processing information.

Academic career and research interests

Andreas Winter has made significant contributions to quantum computing over the last two decades and has worked in particular on quantum Shannon theory. This theory examines the physical limits of storing, transmitting and processing information. Winter's research combines classical information theory with concepts from physics and computer science and has produced both theoretical and practical applications.

His academic career is impressive: he studied mathematics in Konstanz and Berlin and received his doctorate from Bielefeld University in 1999. He has been a professor at the University of Bristol since 2006 and took up a professorship at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 2012. His awards include the Humboldt Research Prize and an ERC Advanced Grant, which further underlines his recognized achievements in the research field.

Cooperations and future outlook

A central goal of the University of Cologne is to expand computer science into a fully-fledged department within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. As part of this development, close collaboration with the ML4Q Cluster of Excellence “Matter and Light for Quantum Information” is planned. This will help establish quantum computing as an interdisciplinary field between physics and computer science, with a particular focus on data science and artificial intelligence.

The commitment of the University of Cologne is also reflected in overarching initiatives, such as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, which will open on January 14, 2025 at the Humboldt University of Berlin. This event, which takes place under the motto "Quantum2025 - 100 years are just the beginning...", is intended to highlight the social value of quantum sciences and shows the broad interest in this future-oriented research field.

The focus is on the development of quantum optical technologies and the understanding of light-matter interactions. Overall, the scientific community in Berlin is committed to establishing the city as an international center for quantum technologies and leveraging the synergies of the three universities in the Berlin University Alliance to achieve groundbreaking advances in quantum research.

The powerful initiatives initiated by Andreas Winter's professorship and associated projects mark a significant step in research at the interface between computer science and quantum mechanics.

Further information about Andreas Winter's research and current developments in quantum computing can be found at University of Cologne, Humboldt Foundation and Humboldt University of Berlin.